Printmaking represent a part of the visual arts that in the design process requires the use of the following accessories and materials: paper, stencils or printing plates, graphic colors and printing presses. Which type of accessories and materials we will use to create this depends on the graphic technique we want to implement. In a broad sense, the distinction is made between relief, intaglio, planographic and screen printing. Within each type, we recognize different graphic techniques, such as linocut, stamp printing, stencil printing, collagraphy, collage printing, cardboard printing, natural materials printing, dry needle, monotype, lithography, etc.
Graphics or printmaking, the field of fine arts, is also included in the curriculum of the subject Fine Arts of Slovenian Primary Schools. Performing of art tasks is carried out in a dedicated art classroom, which must be constructed or designed according to the criteria of the competent ministry. These tasks, however, are carried out in accordance with the curriculum, which sets out the required learning objectives.
The purpose of the master's thesis is to determine whether Slovenian elementary schools are adequately equipped for the implementation of graphic techniques within the teaching of fine arts. We will also determine whether students and teachers are provided with all the necessary materials and supplies for the quality of the art lesson. The goals of the research were as follows: Does each school have a separate space or classroom for performing fine arts lessons? Are art classrooms properly equipped for quality graphics? Do the schools have the materials and facilities available to implement all the graphic techniques? Are all classrooms equipped with a printing press? Do Slovenian schools have good conditions for quality teaching of graphics? We limited ourselves to the technical conditions for performing graphic tasks.
For the purpose of the research we used a quantitative research method, and the measuring instrument used is a questionnaire. The sample is represented by 109 fine arts teachers in Slovenian elementary schools, of which 77% were women. Their average working time is 22.7 years.
The results of the conducted questionnaire reflect the fact that almost all Slovenian elementary schools have a fine arts classroom, and more than two thirds of them are adequately equipped. However, the lack of equipment does not have such a great impact on the work and does not pose major problems. More than four-fifths of teachers have the necessary materials and supplies at their disposal. The five most popular graphic techniques used in elementary schools are linocut, monotype, collagraphy, cardboard and colored linocut. The findings show that the implementation of graphics in elementary schools is made more difficult by the overwhelming number of pupils and the fact that the printing process is time-consuming and, consequently, the school hours do not provide enough time.
In this master's thesis we focused primarily on the technical and partly didactic aspects of artistic printmaking. We could not include the areas of acquisition of specific competences, specific design strategies, fine arts content, the social aspect of reproduction in the age of new media and other interesting aspects of graphics, which remains a challenge for the next research.
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